Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-04-08

they make for tho well, tired, thirsty,
yet good-natured-an but Jake, who
finds Jim dealing out water with a tin
cup, the only one at hand. His scowl
deepened a triie with impatience.
..Here, AL" said Jim, looking from
Jake to Thompson, who stood beside
him, age before beauty
The answering smiles stung the bor-
der vagabond. Snatching the cup and
finging the contents full in Jim's face,
''Clear yourself, you young scamp!'
he ordered.
Flushing savagely the boy caught
something from his side, but Thomp-
sons powerful hand was on his arm.
What do you mean, you little foolq'
he cried. .'Nas this what you came
here forP Jes' you ride home ez fast
ez you kin co." he added taking him
aside, san for Gods sake don't let your
folks know of this. I'll not tell"
EFF it had been any one but Jimmy"
soliloquized the good-humored fellow,
as he went back to his companions, 81
shouldn't have cared. Jake amt very
pretty anyhow. an I reckon he'd make
a better lookin' angel than anything
| else." p, ......u. -" -- +
Jim, meantime, mounted and rode
off without looking back. Angry tears
forced themselves to his eyes as he press
ed on, taking no note of the road until
December sunset flames burned out
along the horizon. The sudden twilight
warned him to seek some shelter for
the night, which had already promised
to be colder than usual. He rode up a
deep gulch, dismounted, fastened his
pony, and made brush fire, luckily
finding a few matches in his pocket.
Then he leaned against the bank and
thought over the days events. Fiery
thought S he had, until another ide
made its entrance into his brain, cool
ing them off a little.
What right had you there at alp"
insinuated conscience, Or whatever re-
Elective faculty takes her place in q
boys mind. Had he not started out to
find poor little Kitty, who was now,
perhaps through his fault, lying stiff
and cold somewhere on the broad
prairie? Jim liked Kitty Nichols. I
suppose any rough but kind-hearted
boy would havt liked such a pretty,
blue-eyed mite, when she came running
to meet him with unfailing delight.
Her folks were neighbors and she was
their only little girl. His heart re-
preached him for having left her to her
fate.
20, we'll, they've surely found her
by this time" he reasoned uneasily;
then, heaping up the fire fell asleep.
He awoke shivering with more than
cold. He thought that finding Kitty
asleep, he had called her to rise and
come home, when a lean gray wolf
bounced upon her. He seized it by
the throat, but had not the strength to
strangle it and dared not let 20.
Though nea home he was unable to
speak aloud, either to call help or wake
the sleeping child, while the air was
hideous with the sharp cries of ad-
vancing wolves. When he shook off
this nightmare, his comfort was not
increased by hearing the yells of his
dream multiply around him, and seeing
well known dark figures stink over the
hills. A light snow had sifted down
during the night, and the world showed
ghostly white in the cold, gray dawn.
With much difficulty Jimmy coaxed
the damp wood to a blaze, and hung
over it in hungry remembrance of the
warm home breakfast.
The sun had scarcely risen above the
low hills when watery-looking clouds
obscured the whole sky, and a chill
wind whistled through the bushes.
Jim got the pony and started for home.
On fresh, cool mornings exercise of any
kind is delightful, and he had not gone
far before his spirits were considerably
heightened.
Crossing a gully his quick eye dis
cerned a mark on the other side. It
was a childs footprint in the snow.
He followed it up and found a chain of
such prints. But all around, intersect-
ing it lin 1places, were the tracks of
prairie wolves.
Just then the ground shook as the
band of mounted herders swept past.
Jack alone refined up beside him. His
face showed he had been drinking.
"Don't you wish you hadn't lost
your chance of catching Old Abel" he
sneered.
live as good a chance as you have,
but I've ONE thing better to d." the
boy returned, tracing the tracks as he
spoke. Jack looked at him a moment:
then, seeing how far the others were
ahead, spurred his bronco into joining
them. p
Left to himself Jim moved along,
watching the ground with intense
interest. Last night she was alive,
then, and he might still find her. The
light snow, however, rapidly disappear
ing, gave him no further aid.
Startled by the well-known. rush of